We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

Zhao Peng immediately lowered his voice.

"Don't worry, I'm very tight-lipped."

"Especially don't brag to your roommates."

"How is that possible?"

Zhao Peng looked very serious.

"I'll notify them after the opening and ask them to come and support me."

"Supporting is fine, but not for free."

"clear."

Zhao Peng nodded vigorously.

"At most, we'll let them sign up for memberships, and offer a 10 yuan bonus for every 100 yuan they top up."

Ye Chen looked up at him.

"You've already finalized the event plan before even finding a professional coordinator?"

"Isn't this just me prematurely entering the role of assistant store manager?"

"You should come out first."

The announcement for ticket checking came over the loudspeaker very soon.

The two dragged their luggage to the ticket gate and slowly moved forward with the crowd.

Next to the queue, many passengers who had bought hard seats brought folding stools.

Some people were carrying thick coats, clearly prepared to spend the night in the train carriage.

Zhao Peng felt the sleeper ticket in his pocket and then moved closer to Ye Chen.

"Chenzi, what's the name of our internet cafe?"

"The shop hasn't even been built yet, and you're already thinking of a name?"

"Prepare in advance."

Zhao Peng said in a very serious tone:

"How about we call it Pengchen Internet Cafe? We each contribute one character, it sounds like a powerful alliance."

"I provided the money, I found the people, how is this a powerful alliance?"

"You take care of the finances, and I'll provide emotional support."

"Then let's call it Ye Chen Internet Cafe."

"Too straightforward."

"Is Zhao Peng doing odd jobs part-time?"

Zhao Peng immediately shut his mouth.

A few seconds later, he touched the sleeper ticket in his pocket again.

"Chenzi, I take back what I just said."

Which sentence?

"I'm not just going to praise you a couple of times, I'll praise you twenty times."

Save your breath.

Ye Chen handed the ticket to the ticket inspector.

"Save your energy, you can carry your own luggage later."

"Also, the internet cafe isn't open, so don't call me 'General Manager Ye'."

Zhao Peng nodded immediately.

"Okay, Mr. Ye."

After boarding the train, the two quickly found their respective berths.

Although they were in the same carriage, they were separated by three berths, less than ten meters apart.

Zhao Peng put down his luggage, looked around, and immediately had an idea.

"How about I ask the person next to me if we can switch places?"

"Stop making a fuss."

Ye Chen stuffed his backpack under his bunk.

"Why do we have to sleep together all night?"

Zhao Peng returned to his bunk with a resentful look on his face.

"People become indifferent after owning a Mercedes."

"Now that they're preparing to open an internet cafe, they don't even care about the future assistant manager."

The train slowly started moving.

The platform outside the window began to recede, and the buildings of Shanghai were gradually swallowed up by the night.

The two sat by the aisle for a while.

Zhao Peng had clearly already entered the "store manager's assistant" mode, saying one minute he wanted to install the best computers, and the next he planned to set aside an area to sell instant noodles and drinks.

"We still need to implement a membership system."

He became more and more excited as he talked.

"Regular members get a 5% discount, and premium members get a 10% discount. The more you top up at once, the more hours you get free."

"Hold another game competition, with the first-place winner receiving a month of free internet access; that would definitely attract a lot of people."

Ye Chen glanced at him with some surprise.

"Your time spent in internet cafes isn't entirely a waste of time."

"Of course."

Zhao Peng immediately became smug.

"I'm going deep into the market to understand customer needs."

"OK."

Ye Chen then said:

"After you go back to school, you can keep an eye out for those internet cafes around here."

"I make notes about the number of machines, pricing, environment, and occupancy rate whenever I pass by."

Zhao Peng's smile froze slightly.

"Aren't there professionals conducting the investigation? Do I have to do it too?"

"They're conducting a formal investigation."

Ye Chen said:

"You're a student and a regular customer, so you can see things from the customer's perspective."

"However, you are not allowed to miss classes, and you are not allowed to use the guise of an investigation to book three nights in a row."

Zhao Peng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's no problem."

"I go there often anyway, so I can just jot it down."

"It's best to write it down, instead of relying entirely on your memory."

Zhao Peng thought for a moment, then tentatively asked:

"Can the internet fees incurred during the survey be reimbursed?"

"Reasonable spending is acceptable."

What constitutes reasonable spending?

"Spending an hour in an internet cafe, observing the machines and the environment, is called a survey."

Ye Chen looked at him.

"Spending three consecutive nights in a row will cause an internet addiction relapse."

Zhao Peng sighed.

"Your boss isn't someone to be fooled."

"I never intended for you to fool me."

"Surely they need an internal account, right?"

"It's possible."

Ye Chen nodded.

"Used to inspect machines and systems."

"If you dare to turn this internet cafe into a second dormitory, I'll have the person in charge ban you and your account."

"If I go to help, do I have to pay for it myself?"

Zhao Peng's eyes widened.

"Don't employees get any benefits?"

"I can send you a few hours each month."

"The specific amount to be sent will be determined by the person in charge."

Zhao Peng was stunned for a moment.

"Can't I just place an order directly?"

"What are you, a store manager's assistant, supposed to order?"

Ye Chen countered:

"You were there to help and learn, not to boss employees around."

"Reasonable suggestions are welcome, but whether or not they are adopted depends on the cost and effectiveness."

Zhao Peng nodded thoughtfully.

"For example, if you recharge 100 and get 10 free, you still need to calculate whether you can still make a profit after giving it all away?"

"At least there's been some progress."

"Then I'll learn properly from professionals from now on."

Zhao Peng patted his chest.

"When I'm truly capable of handling things on my own, then you can make me the store manager or the general manager."

"We'll talk about it when you have the ability."

"Definitely."

Zhao Peng was full of confidence.

"While others only get one diploma after four years of university, I might have four more years of internet cafe management experience by the time I graduate."

Ye Chen glanced at him.

"The premise is that you don't let your four years of management experience turn into four years of internet experience."

"cannot."

Zhao Peng immediately made a promise.

"I will definitely prioritize my studies and only go there when I don't have classes or when I'm on break."

"That's more like it."

The conversation quickly shifted from the internet cafe to which barbecue restaurant to eat when they went back for the National Day holiday, and then they talked about the interesting things they encountered in college.

Around 10 p.m., the lights in the carriage went out.

Ye Chen climbed onto the sleeper berth, tidied his belongings, then took out his phone and opened Shen Anran's messages.

"Are you on the bus?"

"We're on our way. We'll arrive in the county town tomorrow morning."

After a while, Shen Anran replied:

"I'm about to get off the bus."

Ye Chen smiled.

"Then pack your things first, and when you get there go back to sleep. Don't wait for me."

The screen was silent for half a minute.

He was about to lock the screen when Shen Anran's reply popped up.

"Who said I was going to wait for you?"

Ye Chen couldn't help but chuckle.

Sure enough, he remained as stubborn as ever.

He didn't reply, casually locked his phone, and placed it next to his pillow.

The carriage gradually quieted down, with only the rhythmic sound of the wheels rolling over the rails remaining.

Ye Chen pulled the blanket over himself and lay down.

The night outside the window was deep, with scattered lights flashing by as the train headed towards home.